One of India’s successful captains, Sourav Ganguly believes the amount of criticism wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni has received for his performance at the ongoing 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup is unfair.
Dhoni has come under severe criticism for his batting approach at the World Cup. The former captain has struggled to force the issue at the World Cup, resulting in slow-paced knocks against Afghanistan and the West Indies.
Though it didn’t hurt India much as the side went on to win both the matches, it’s believed such an approach could prove dangerous against better oppositions as India move into the business end of the tournament. But Ganguly chose to throw his weight behind Dhoni and trust the wicketkeeper-batsman. “It’s a one-off and I won't look too much into it. Yes, MS Dhoni has been in the situation in the past, last year when he came to England, we saw the same struggle with spin," Ganguly told Star Sports in an interview.
"But he (Dhoni) needs someone to play with him, and if he bats with Virat Kohli at three, KL Rahul at 4 and he is at 5, or with the likes of Hardik Pandya, life becomes a lot easier for him because they keep hitting and he keeps rotating the strike," the 46-year-old said.
Moreover, Ganguly believed Dhoni would use his immense experience and try to find a solution if the situation worsened going ahead. “I would like to wait before passing a statement on how well he has played, especially his strike rate, because he has the ability to hit the boundaries and play differently,” said the man who led India to the 2003 World Cup final.
“So, let’s not get into MS Dhoni so quickly in this competition yet, because his experience, the quality and the ability he has, he will defiantly succeed.”
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Dibgyangshu Sarkar
